Inland Lakes, JoBurg to have rubber match in softball regional semifinal

INDIAN RIVER – Two Ski Valley Conference softball powerhouses, one fascinating rubber match.

When the Inland Lakes Bulldogs and Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals collide in Saturday's 1 p.m. MHSAA Division 4 regional semifinal in Rudyard, the stakes will be high.

For the Bulldogs (23-8), who shared the Ski Valley regular season title with the Cardinals (27-3-1), they’ll be hungry to advance to a second straight regional final, while JoBurg finally broke into the regional round after capturing their first district title since 2008 with a 13-2 victory over Hillman last week.

"They know that at the end of the day, it's not about wins or losing – it's a matter of being there as a team, as a family," said Inland Lakes coach Krissi Thompson. "You can't do one without the other. You've got to be family-oriented, and they know that, so they work hard every single day to make sure we stay humble, to make sure we stay hungry and we stay dedicated, because that's the only way you’re going to win is staying together as a family."

The Bulldogs delivered an impressive win of their own last week, topping host Rogers City in a 3-0 district championship triumph. Starring on the mound for the Bulldogs was sophomore Lexi Kovtun, who tossed a shutout against a potent Rogers City offensive attack.

"(The confidence is) definitely through the roof, knowing that they stepped up as a family when someone else had to step out – that means a lot to the program," Thompson added of her team. "It shows the dedication level and how hungry these girls are for success."

The Bulldogs will also welcome the return of senior Natalie Wandrie, who didn't play in last week's district games after competing in Hudsonville and winning two state titles at the Division 4 track and field finals.

Inland Lakes’ lineup hopes to have success against powerful JoBurg junior pitcher Jayden Marlatt, who's a star both on the mound and at the plate with her bat.

"(Marlatt's) a great pitcher, she's a great all-around athlete, but our girls are hungry, and they did well against her the first time, and I’ve got to believe they’ll do just as well, if not a little bit better, this time around," Thompson said.

Both programs battled to a split during a Ski Valley doubleheader in the regular season. In the end, each finished 15-1 in conference play and claimed a share of the crown.

"They’re always tough, and they’ve always got a great program that's somewhat close to ours, and they’re always good," Thompson said of JoBurg. "At this point in the game, you can't count anybody out. Once you get to regional play, everybody's there for a reason, not just a fluke, in my opinion."

Hornets hungry to top Rudyard, make championship game

Back in Pellston earlier this spring, the Hornets (13-12) went back and forth in game one of a non-conference doubleheader against Rudyard.

The only problem was poor weather ended up denying both teams a full game of action.

Several weeks later, the weather is much nicer and the Hornets – just like last season – will have a shot to reach the regional final if they can defeat the host Bulldogs in Saturday's 11 a.m. regional semifinal matchup.

"We’re going to go in with the attitude of any given day," said Pellston coach Randy Bricker. "We know Rudyard's got a historically powerful program, we got to see them earlier in the year, and we’re hoping to go there up and compete, give Rudyard everything we can and give us a chance to get to that regional final against one of our Ski Valley foes."

The Hornets have plenty of momentum right now, especially after claiming a second consecutive district title with a 20-5 victory over Harbor Light last week.

Aiming to slow down a solid Rudyard lineup is junior pitcher Caroline Crenshaw, while seniors Megan Bricker and Gabby Landon are two of Pellston's most dangerous hitters.

The Pellston-Rudyard winner faces the Inland Lakes-JoBurg winner in the regional final later in the day.